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The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology has predicted that most regions of the country will experience clear weather today. 

Furthermore, the Department has noted a chance of light rain and snowfall in certain hilly and mountainous areas. 

In Koshi Province, a mix of partial clouds and predominantly clear conditions is expected in the mountainous, hilly, and Tarai regions, while much of the Tarai in Madhes Province will see mainly clear weather. 

In Bagmati Province, a combination of partial clouds and mainly clear weather is forecasted for the mountains, hills, and Tarai areas. All regions of Gandaki Province are expected to have partial cloud cover. In Lumbini Province, partial clouds will be present in the mountainous and hilly areas, whereas the Tarai region will largely remain clear. 

In Karnali Province, the weather is predicted to be predominantly clear in the mountainous and hilly areas.

The Department has indicated that clear weather will prevail in the mountainous, hilly, and Terai regions of Sudurpashchim Province.

Prime Minister Sushila Karki called on President Ram Chandra Paudel at the Office of the President today. 

The President's Secretariat stated that PM Karki briefed the President on the contemporary political situation and the elections to the House of Representatives (HoR). 

The country is holding the HoR elections on Thursday. The voting is scheduled to begin at 7 am and will continue until 5 pm.

The Election Commission (EC) has urged all voters to participate actively and enthusiastically in the voting scheduled for Thursday, March 5, under the House of Representatives (HoR) elections.

At a press meet organized at the EC today on the eve of the voting, Officiating Chief Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari said that all preparations for conducting the elections have been completed. 

He called on all eligible citizens to take part in the elections as a constitutional exercise to renew democratic legitimacy and cast their invaluable votes.

A total of 65 political parties are contesting under the first-past-the-post (direct) electoral system with 61 election symbols. 

Under the direct system, there are 3,017 male candidates and 388 female candidates. One candidate from the other gender is also contesting, bringing the total number of candidates under this system to 3,406.

Similarly, under the proportional representation (PR) electoral system, 1,363 male and 1,772 female candidates who make a total of 3,135 candidates are in the race. Voting under the direct electoral system is being held for 165 constituencies, while 110 seats are allocated under the PR system.

In this election, the total number of voters is 10,893,689. Of them, 9,663,358 are male voters, 1,230,131 are female voters, and 200 belong to other genders. According to the EC, there are 186,142 temporary voters.

Nationwide, there are 10,967 polling stations and 23,112 polling centers. A total of 143 temporary polling stations have been established.

For election security, 79,727 personnel from the Nepal Army, 75,797 from Nepal Police, 34,567 from the Armed Police Force, 1,921 from the National Investigation Department, and 149,000 temporary election police have been mobilized. Altogether, 215,000 employees have been deployed.

The EC has printed a total of 42,251,200 ballot papers for both electoral systems. Additionally, 39 national organizations and four international organizations have been permitted to observe the elections.

Security has been tightened at the Nepal–India border to ensure that the House of Representatives elections on Thursday are conducted in a peaceful  environment.

Madhav Prasad Pokharel, Chief District Officer of Rupandehi, said that an informal border coordination meeting was held with his counterpart from Maharajganj District in Uttar Pradesh, India, regarding the security in the border areas in view of the House of Representatives elections.

The informal discussion between officials of both countries and the monitoring of the border area were attended by Chief District Officer Pokhrel, along with Chief of Police and Deputy Superintendent of Police of the District Police Office Rupandehi Janak Bahadur Shahi, the Armed Police Force Deputy Inspector General Navaraj Bohara, and Prakash Acharya, Director of the National Investigation Department, from Nepal side.

Similarly, Santosh Kumar Sharma, the chief officer (DM) of the District Maharajganj in India, and SP Somendra Meena of the Indian police were also present.

Chief District Officer Pokharel stated that both parties discussed the issue of closing the border during the election and effectively implementing it. He said that the Indian side also showed interest in assisting in conducting the elections peacefully and fairly.

Considering the elections, all the border crossings with India in Rupandehi district have been closed for 72 hours from 12:00 midnight on Monday, March 2. 

The district administration has stated that all borders will remain closed until voting is completed on the election day, March 5.

Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal has said that voting security has been fully ensured nationwide in view of the House of Representatives (HoR) elections taking place on Thursday.

During an interaction with the media at the Home Ministry today, the Minister, who also serves as the Government Spokesperson, assured that this election will be conducted in a credible, more impartial, and fearless environment compared to past elections. The interaction focused on the peace and security situation and preparations for the HoR polls–2026.

“The entire security mechanism has been mobilized up to the voting stations. If necessary, all preparations are in place to enable effective government control,” he said. He added that any unwanted activities during the election are punishable by law, and those responsible will be brought before the court.

He also shared details about the security plans of the Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, and the Nepal Army, if required.

The Home Minister urged voters to cast their votes with full understanding. “The election is not just a means of electing representatives; it also contributes to establishing political good governance,” he said.

He further informed that ballot paper management procedures will be carried out under the integrated election security plan, as in previous elections. 

The Minister assured of the safe collection and transportation of ballot papers to the respective election offices after voting.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has said that all preparations for the House of Representatives elections, scheduled for Thursday, have been completed.

In the virtual meeting with the chief district officers from all 77 districts held at the ministry this morning, it was reported that all managerial tasks, including election security and necessary arrangements, have been completed.

The virtual meeting of chief district officers from all 77 districts, chaired by Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs Raj Kumar Shrestha along with senior officials of the ministry, reviewed the election preparations and security arrangements of all districts.

The meeting focused on election preparations, security arrangements and other related issues, joint-spokesperson of the ministry Rama Acharya said.

In the meeting, discussions were held on the election preparations in the districts, the current situation, and coordination to be undertaken by the central authority.

Spokesperson Acharya informed that the law and order situation, the precautions to be taken on election day, and security sensitivity were reviewed and an understanding was reached to formulate the upcoming strategy.

Home Secretary Shrestha instructed Chief District Officers to strengthen and make election security effective. 

In the meeting, the Chief District Officers from all districts reported that all staff, security mechanisms, and election materials had been transported to the polling stations.

The Election Observation Committee (EOC) Nepal has mobilized 700 national election observers across the country. 

EOC Nepal, one of the oldest organizations permitted to observe elections in the country, has deployed observers for both long-term and emergency purposes.

It stated that, compared to past elections, the use of social media is more widespread this time. 

The EOC has formed a special technical team to closely monitor potential violations of the election code of conduct through the misuse of cyberspace.

According to the organization’s Vice Chair, Badri Prasad Siwakoti, the continued dissemination of election publicity materials on digital platforms and social media, the sharing of digital content and messages intended to influence voters in favour of electoral candidates and parties, and the circulation of misleading content have led to breaches of the election code of conduct.

In view of the voting for the House of Representatives (HoR) elections taking place on March 5, the Election Commission (EC) has permitted 39 national organizations and four international organizations to observe the elections.

The price of gold has dropped by Rs 1, 1000 per tola in the domestic market on Wednesday. 

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the yellow metal is being traded at Rs 317, 600 per tola today.  It was traded at Rs 328, 600 per tola on Tuesday. 

Similarly, the price of silver has dropped by Rs 275 and is being traded at Rs 5, 540 per tola.